China and Russia have pledged not to hack or launch cyberattacks against one another, in a deal that’s designed to pave the way for wider cooperation in the areas of information technology and law enforcement.

The agreement was detailed in a 12-page Russian language document posted on the Moscow government’s website. The documents states the world’s second and third superpowers have agreed to refrain from launching cyberattacks against one another, and to cooperate on counteracting technologies that “destabilize the internal political and socio-economic atmosphere”, ”disturb public order”, or “interfere with the internal affairs of the state”, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The deal will almost certainly see the two nations strengthen their cyber-defences significantly, argues Lee Munson in the Naked Security blog, because it means China and Russia can now free up resources to be deployed elsewhere. China and Russia are already believed to be responsible for a significant amount of state-sponsored hacking, and the deal should allow both nations to boost their capabilities in that area, Munson said.

Tougher Internet controls

Russia is widely believed to have begun re-evaluating its dependency on Western-made technology since the revelations of U.S. spying made by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Partly due to this, Russian lawmakers have called for tighter controls on the Internet, says the WSJ. It’s an issue that’s likely to be addressed later this year when a new Data Localization law comes into play, which states that organizations collecting data on Russian citizens are obliged to store said data within Russia itself.

Meanwhile China is also looking to impose even greater controls on Internet use within its own borders. Last week, the government in Beijing proposed an amendment to its national security law that would allow it to crack down on network attacks and the dissemination of online content it deems to be harmful.

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